62 VEGETABLES A USEFUL INGREDIENT IN SUMMER. 



would pursue this system for a very long time ; havino^ 

 tried them myself I can answer for their being by far 

 more expensive than oatmeal and by no means so 

 nutritious ; there are two kinds of biscuits, one the 

 common sea bread that has been damap:ed either bv 

 age or salt-water, and sold as old stores by the ship- 

 chandlers, the other is made on purpose for hounds 

 and other sporting-dogs, of refuse meal of all sorts ; 

 having no choice myself, I shall leave it to the reader, 

 if he wishes to become a purchaser, to buy that which 

 his fancy conceives to be the best. Sago is also adver- 

 tized in some of the London papers, and recommended 

 as good food for hounds, but not having tried it myself 

 and not even having heard of its being used for such 

 a purpose before, I can give no account of it Cabbages 

 are frequently given by some huntsmen during the dead 

 months, they are a most excellent and cooling addition 

 to the food, but being expensive, are not always to be 

 procured, particularly where the establishment is 

 numerous ; in that case nettles are a good substitute, 

 they are very cooling, a strong antiscorbutic, and a 

 diuretic, and their good effects will be evidently seen 

 on the coats of the hounds, when they have been used 

 for a week or ten days. Care should be taken to gather 

 the young tops of the nettles, as when the stalks 

 become old and hard, they are unwholesome and dif- 

 ficult to digest ; a large sackful may be put into the 

 copper daily, and boiled up with the flesh. Hounds 

 when heated, are remarkably fond of vegetables boiled 

 up with their food, prompted, no doubt, by the strong 

 inclination, which nature never fails of exciting in 

 scorbutic disorders, for these powerful specifics. The 



